Officials attend Roman Vlasov after he was choked unconscious in his bout against Bozo Starcevic.

Looking back on his semifinal, he said: "The opponent even strangled me -- but the judge didn't even give him a warning.

"Thank God I was allowed to continue to the end and win this match. I had to pull myself together and I tried to tune it out, because something like that had never happened before.

"I realized that it was not over yet, and I had to fight on. I was unconscious when he strangled me, but I came out of it right away."

Vlasov, a lieutenant in the Russian army, said he had beaten a "very strong" Madsen in the gold medal match and added: "I have fought him six times, and he has studied me thoroughly.

"He hit me hard -- I do not know how I managed to stand up but, thank God, I did."

And he stressed that he hoped his win would serve as an inspiration to the country's other wrestlers, adding: "I am sure they watched and supported me, and that this victory will give them confidence."